Celebrating the mother who empowered me

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

This Mother’s Day, I celebrate Dr. Vanitha Dyapa, the woman who shaped my courage, confidence, and character. Today, I serve as a House Surgeon, living the dream I first voiced at age three. But this dream was never mine alone. My mother protected it, nurtured it, and believed in it long before I understood its weight. A distinguished writer and Press Correspondent with 25 years in journalism, she earned national acclaim and multiple awards for articles that shaped public thought. 

A Doctorate holder herself, she built her career on intellectual integrity. Yet she never made me feel secondary to her ambitions. She made me believe I could build my own. The confidence she instilled showed early. At three, I was the only child chosen for a solo patriotic performance at the 59th Indian Independence Day event by the AP Department of Culture, winning Best Performance for "Vande Mataram – A Tribute to Mother India.”  Awards followed in 2003 as Little Krishna and in 2004 as Mahatma Gandhi. They were reflections of the fearless confidence my mother nurtured.

I later won awards in essay writing, singing, and painting from Jawahar Bal Bhavan. My devotional singing earned the Greatest Star Talent Award and Dream Dance Academy Award. My writing won the “Vishishta Sahiti” Award from Vishwa Sahiti. A defining moment came in 2022. During Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, my research paper “India at the Centenary Year of Independence – My Vision” won a National Level Award. Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, then Governor of Telangana, conferred it at Raj Bhavan. The first person I looked at was my mother. 

Recently, the Homoeopathic Medical Association of Telangana honoured me with the Young Homoeopath Award for academic writing and early professional work. The International Lions Club also recognized me in 2026 for research articles and she received HYBIZ TV Media award as the best Woman Correspondent 2026.  But my story of empowerment is incomplete without her. Behind her own success stands my father, a veteran journalist and cartoonist. Their partnership taught me that true empowerment begins at home, where education is celebrated, ambition is nurtured, and equality is practiced.

Many parents sacrifice careers for children. My mother did something stronger. She pursued excellence while ensuring I had every resource and every encouragement to pursue mine. She proved ambition and parenthood are not competing forces. They are complementary strengths. From her, I inherited resilience. I inherited courage. I inherited the “never give up” spirit that defines me as a doctor and a woman. 

To me, she is not just my mother. She is my hero, my mentor, and my greatest role model. Every daughter thinks her mother is special. I can say mine is one in a billion. I am living proof of her impact. With gratitude and pride, a daughter who stands tall because her mother never let her fall.

—Dr. Varasa Dyapa The author is a Homeopathy doctor